They say the best forwards possess the ability to seemingly make time stand still before delivering their devastating blow.
And Liverpool will surely wish they could preserve Mohamed Salah in his present state for many years to come.
The Egyptian was never going to reach the latest landmark of an astonishing Reds career in mundane fashion. That just isn't his style.
But the manner in which Salah notched his 150th goal for the club demonstrated just why the clamour for an agreement over his new contract grows among supporters with every week the deal remains unsigned.
There was still plenty to do when the forward, sprinting away from Kenny McLean, plucked Alisson Becker’s long, searching pass out of the Anfield sky.
Salah, though, wouldn’t be rushed. First he held off the challenge of Norwich City Ben Gibson. Then he turned away from visiting goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who had raced to the edge of his area.
And finally, with Max Aarons and Grant Hanley having sprinted back to defend the goalline, the Liverpool man calmly rolled the ball into the one area of the net that remained unguarded.
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Only Roger Hunt, who reached the landmark after 226 games, has scored 150 goals for Liverpool in quicker time than the 233 matches Salah required to reach the figure. In that sense, the Egyptian isn’t one to hang about.
“A really cheeky one,” said Klopp of the forward’s latest entry in a glittering goalscoring canon.
And it was the culmination of a whirlwind five second-half minutes that transformed a game from threatening one of the shocks of the season to merely being the latest example of how Liverpool keep finding ways of getting the job done - the value of which was demonstrated by Manchester City dropping points mere hours later.
Certainly, the “pain in the a**” isn’t getting any better for Pep Guardiola.
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Norwich, struggling against relegation but finding some good recent form under manager Dean Smith, had absorbed first-half Liverpool pressure before taking the lead three minutes after the break when a Milot Rashica shot deflected in off the unlucky Joel Matip.
Anfield bristled, unhappy at what they were seeing. But, as at Inter Milan on Wednesday, Klopp’s side benefited from changes from the bench, an astute tactical shift and a rousing second-half showing from Jordan Henderson.
Thiago Alcantara and Divock Origi’s arrival on 62 minutes prompted a switch to a 4-4-2 formation that gave greater freedom to the attacking triumvirate of Salah, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz. All three would go on to score.
The contribution of Mane, who started down the centre in the absence of injured duo Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, was perhaps the most crucial, dragging Liverpool level two minutes after the substitutions when executing a fine overhead kick from close range after Kostas Tsimikas had headed down Henderson’s deep cross.
Suddenly, Liverpool had momentum, belief and, in a revived home support, fierce backing that grew louder with Salah’s strike.
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The game was made safe with a special moment from Diaz, cleverly clipping the ball over Gunn for his first Reds goal nine minutes from time after an excellent defence-splitting pass from Henderson.
Diaz had encapsulated Liverpool’s rollercoaster afternoon, struggling during the first half but much better after the break, not least when drifting into central positions. He was even afforded a riff on the Luis Suarez song by the Kop.
But the Colombian wasn’t the only one to suffer for the three points. Indeed, the trademark triple fist-pump Klopp aimed towards the Kop after the final whistle was undoubtedly laced with a healthy dose of relief after his gamble of making seven changes to the starting line-up was ultimately justified.
For Joe Gomez, it was a first Premier League start since suffering his serious knee injury in November 2020, albeit at right-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold given a well-earned weekend off.
Gomez, a centre-back by trade, was solid enough defensively although understandably unable to replicate Alexander-Arnold’s forward threat. But having previously played just 12 top-flight minutes this season, any game time will surely been welcomed.
With Andy Robertson benched, not since the 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace in September had Liverpool started a Premier League game without either of their first-choice full-backs.
And their absence in an attacking sense was painfully evident during a first half in which the Reds fired in 15 shots but never really convinced they would find a way through.
In fact, Norwich had the clearest chance of the first half when Teemu Pukki got in behind the Reds defence after a free-kick was recycled but, despite being onside, dragged his angled shot wide of Alisson’s far post.
The nearest Liverpool came was when Salah’s header from a corner was nodded off the line by Mathias Normann, while the afternoon could have been made a lot easier had Tsimikas not been too high when stretching to meet Salah’s cross from the right at close range.
Tsimikas, Mane, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all saw shots repelled by either Gunn or a Norwich block, and Diaz was too high after a forceful run.
Few could complain that Rashica’s opener, netted after Liverpool were punished for a sloppy start to the second half, was deserved reward for Norwich’s endeavours.
But in the end the Canaries were fortunate not to have lost by a heavier margin as they tired under the weight of constant Reds pressure, with Salah, Origi and Mane all close to adding to the home tally.
Three, though, was enough. Liverpool – and Salah – keep on going. And don't Manchester City know it.
